Leaders And Managers: Bound By A Common Goal
Leaders and Managers: Bound by a Common Goal
There are many paths to success in the business world today; two of which include leadership and management. Both of these roles, once achieved in any industry, may be perceived as a level of success for the individual reaching these heights. Important to understand however is how these two functions are separate and possess many facets that differentiate one from the other. Many people are of the belief that management does not equate to leadership and leadership does not equate to management. In support of this, there are many different arguments that can be pursued to agree or disagree with this thought process, but one common factor established throughout this debate might be that success is measured through both positions. In summary, although the roles and responsibilities of a leader and manager may differ, the result will almost certainly be the same; their functions will be beneficial towards the achievement of an organizations overall objectives and success.
The roles and responsibilities of a leader and manager have the appearance of being the same but in all actuality are very different. A key difference between the two is that in almost all cases, “Employees willingly follow leaders because they want to, not because they have to” (Leadership versus Management, 1998, para. 3). In contrast, “Managers may have to rely on formal authority to get employees to accomplish goals” (Leadership versus Management, 1998, para. 3). This concept establishes the idea that leaders possess influence over the employees who they work with whereas a manager does not necessarily have the will of his or her subordinates. As a result, a manager may have to rely on some other measures to ensure accomplishment of their assigned tasks.
There are several other dynamics that appear similar between a leader and manager but are very different when addressed closely. For example, leaders should boast...
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